Lapping machine



Sept. 16, 1952 H. S. INDGE LAPPING MACHINE 3 Sheets-She-et 1 Filed June 25, 1949 A f fa/vektor HERBERT 5.1mm

H. s. INDGE LAPP'LNG MACHINE Sept. 16, 1952 '5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 25, 1949 fzzyeleltor HaaBmr/Nmi H. S. INDGE LAPPING MACHINE sept. 1e, 1952- 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 25, 1949 PatentedI Sept. 16, K i952 Herbert!V SLlIn'dg'e, Westboro,'l\1'ss. assrgnor rvto Norton "Company,` Worcester, Mass.; "a.' corpo= rationfofMass'achusetts.

Arnlicationaunezs, 1949;.seria1.-,Noa1o1;422

ztclaims.l (Cl. 51-16-1) 'nventionrelates..tolappingnlachineS-and I moreparticularly' to. amachinezadapted for lap,- ping cylindrical type workpieces. Y

One.. object of. the, invention: isttowprovide a y simpl'eand thoroughly. practical .lapping machine.

Another .object of-the [invention is .to provide a l'a'ippi'ng'^ machine .in whicnthe -workpieces tube Iappdare rotated and;` reciprocated ,.between. two opposedlapping elements-..` Another obi ect offthe/ iriventionis to.lp'roiiide `.lapping .machine hav-ingr twa opposedlapping elements .oneof .whichisf-rd-l tatablefand .ement-which isprovidedwitha plu.-v ralityof vshaped. grooves..simultaneously-lineupport. a plurality'. of workpi'e'ceslfor a lapping-operation... AnOtlierpbject ontheinventionis to.. proridefsuchl a. machinefwitha driving mecha nisniior rotatil'lg.'I at least; oneof. saidwheels and to provide'.meansr for. simultaneously and..axially reciprdcating,[atA plurality. of workpieces. .duringy a lappingV operation. Other. obj ects..will' .b"e inpart obvious or. .para pointed. outhereinafter.

The invention accordingly lconsists f. inthe fea-l tures o construction, combinations of. elementsif. and"arrang ementsof.'parts;.,as will be exempli-` in.tlie structureto be-hereinater described. andthe scope. oit-the. application of whichwillbe. indicatedin the..iol]bwing..claims..f

In' thelaccompanying! drawingain which. is .possiblepembodimentsof:

.mechanc'alfeatures of 'this invention..

Figi. is. .a 'Verti'callfsectinn.` .througnthe im provedlappir'ggmachine; Y

Fig; 2 is la fragmentary ,perspective .v-iew, onenlarged scale, ofi the. opposedV lapping elements,; theworkpieces and thereciprocating,mechanism thereior, showingtl'ie Vgrooyestior. supporting: the work-pieczes` arranged .radial positions..

' Eig. 3"s.a"iragmentaryplanview,.ornam enf..-

larged `scal'e'oi' the lower. lapping. `wheel' or work support;x showing thervl'grocyes arrangedinnonf.

Y radial positions; and;

Fie.A i is a .plan view,'.on .an.{en1a'rged scale, showing." adi'u'stment .fo1;,:the.worlsreciproca,` to'n;and11 y 5 is 'an..elevationof;.the parts. shown. Fig. 4.

The improvedv lapping machine. as. illustrated inthe drawings comprises a. basev l0 which. serves as a support for an upper lapping ywheel IL and a lower lapping jwheelor work supporting wheel l"2:'"I'.he"base` ID' 'serves as a support for a verticallyextending column l3"wlii'ch supports a .horizontallyarranged arm' I4'. The upper end ofthe columnf3- is provided with-an reduced" cylindrical portion` IS-ionfwhich the arm -l4vv is pivotallyf mounted.`r A'shouldered'surface'- Hi on the column [r3-serves toposition .the arm 14.1 A manuallyf operableclamp IT'is. provided oni-,he arm. H' which is actuated by a manually, operable leverA la. to clarnpthe arm -L41 either 'an operative position orto facilitatereleasing said 'arni so that `the. arm. andfthe. .upper .lappingVv wheel' Il. supportedthereby. maybe swung tol an .inoperae tive-position.

The arm i4..is..provided, witlil a.vertically;ex"` tending cylindrical. aperture IS whichl supports ayertically. movable. spindle 26? A rotatable' pinionzZIV carried bythev arm .I4 meshes lwith a' `'rack bar .ZZ formed onth'e peripheral Asuriace of "the spindle 210; .A.-manually` operable lever. 23"'ispro-' videdfor .actuatingfthe pinion 2`l`. to facilitate raising.l or. lowering: the. spindle Ztl' as. desired; A piyotally., mounted detenta, orv latcplll is xedly mounted .on a .roclnshait 25l`wl`iich. is. journalled in. suitable ybearingsnot shown and y the .arm M serves Wheninan operativev position. to engage teeth of. the bar`22`to-holdlthe spindle. ZUagai'nst downward movement.v .A manually' Yoperable''lever 26.'. .is. .fixedlymounted -.ori. the rockl shaft" Zito'. facilitate factuatic'nn.` of. thedetent .or latch 'I 24.1 A spider 30'. is. mountedlon. the lower -end` vofqtlrie. spindle 2.0..' The .spider 'fis xedlii.rncnirlted` to theupper. lapping wheel" 'I'I'L' A latch 31". pivotally mountedon the spider 3.0 servesto engage .notches collarE .321 'mountedY onthe. spindle 2.0," nor,- mall'ylto holdtlie spider 'andthe upper'. lapping wheel. |51. against.rotation. Itwill' bereadily ap.- parenty frorntheforegoing Vdisclosure that by ac-` tuation oi-Ithe1 .lever .23, the spindlel' together with.. the. spider 30' and the. .upper lapping rwheel [.may be manuallyiraisedor lowered-as desired '-Th'e detentll'inay be' utilized 'to lockthe upper lapping,'wheel` in. an. uppermost. or inoperative. position. tolv facilitate .a .'worl.` loading operation. it' is'.l desired toV start.. 'atlapping 'operation thelmanually operable lever. 2l6`rnay be actuated to move the. detent. 'f'out oi engagementY with the rackL bar.. 22 after. which .the lever. 23' may, be movedina.countercloekwise direction toz cause a downwardmoyement of' the spindle'.- ZU Vandtheupper. lapping. fwheel l'l. 'li'hev weightfofl the Thelower lapping wheel |2 sxedlymounted on the upper surface of a spider 35 which is keyed on the upper end of a rotatable sleeve 36. The sleeve 36 is journalled in a pair of spaced anti-friction bearings 31 and 38 which are carried by a housing or frame 35 which is in turn fixedly mounted relative to the base I5.

The lower lapping wheel I2 is provided with a suitable driving mechanism comprising an electric motor 45 which is mounted on a pivotally mounted motor support 4I supported on a rock shaft 42 within the base I9 of the machine. The motor 40 is provided with a motor shaft 43 which is provided with a V-groove pulley 44 which is connected by V-belts 45 with a V-groove pulley 45 mounted on a rotatable shaft 4l. A worm 48 is formed integral with the shaft 4l and meshes with a worm gear 45 which is keyed on'the lower end of the sleeve 35. It will be readily apparent from the foregoing disclosure that when the motor 40 is started, a rotary motion will be imparted through the driving mechanism above described to rotate the sleeve 35, the spider 35 and the lower lapping Wheel I2. The lower lapping wheel I2 serves as a work supporting and rotating member and may consist ofeither a cast iron lap or if preferred a relatively hard fine bonded abrasive wheel. The lower lapping wheel I2 is provided with a plurality of V-shaped grooves 50 which may be arranged either radially as shown in Fig. 2 or may be arranged at a slight angle to a radius as shown in Fig. 3. Each of the V-shaped grooves 50 is provided with a clearance groove 5I formed at the base of the V-groove to provide the necessary clearance for loose particles o f abrasive material and metal. To facilitate the lapping actionof the wheels upon a plurality of workpieces 52 to be simultaneously lapped, the upper lapping wheel I I and the lower lapping wheel I2 are preferably formed as annuli having opposed plane operative surfaces. The width of the annuli, that is the radial distance between the outer and inner peripheral surface thereof is preferably substantially equal `to the length of the workpiece to be lapped. When a plurality of cylindrical workpieces 52 have been loaded into the V-grooves 50, the `upper lapping wheel I I may then be lowered into operative engagement with the upper surfaces of the workpieces 52. In this position of the parts, when the motor 40 is set in motion to rotate the lower lapping wheel I2, the workpieces 52 being carried by the V-shaped grooves 5I) and maintained in operative engagement with the operative surface of the upper lapping wheel- II will be positively rotated by the combined action of the rotating lower lap, the V-grooves 50 and the stationary upper lapping wheel Il. By providing V-shaped grooves for supporting the workpieces during a lapping operation, out-of-round condition of the workpieces may be corrected by the lapping operation to produce true cylindrical surfaces on the nished lapped workpieces 52. In order to facilitate the lapping operation, it is desirable to not only cause a rotary motion of the workpieces 52 between the lapping elements I I and I2, but also to impart a simultaneous axial reciprocatory movement to the workpieces during the lapping operation. By the provision of such a reciprocatory motion, a breakup action is provided between the lapping elements and the work and the operative faces of the lapping elements are thereby caused to wear uniformly during a continued lapping operation. This reciprocating mechanism may comprise an inside work retainer 55 which has an outer peripheral surface arranged to simultaneously limit the inward movement of the workpieces 52. The inside work retainer 55 is rotatably mounted on a crankpin or stud 56 which is adjustably mounted on a rotatable crank plate 5l. The crank plate 5l is iixedly mounted on the upper end of a rotatable shaft 58. The shaft 58 is connected by means of a coupling 55 with a vertically Aarranged drive shaft 60 contained within the sleeve 36. A

.-V-belt 6I connects the pulley 46 with a V-groove pulley 62 which is mounted on a rotatable shaft 53.. The shaft 63 is provided with an integral worm 54 which meshes with a worm gear 55 keyed on the lower end of the shaft 65. An outer work retaining ring 66 rests upon the upper plane surface of the spider 35 and is provided with an upwardly extending rim 61 having an internal cylindrical surface 68 which is arranged simultaneously to limit outward motion of the workpieces 52. rIfhe outer work retainer 56 is free to oat or slide on the upper surface of the spider 35 when moved by the outer ends of the workpieces 52.

It will be readily apparent'from the foregoing disclosure that rotation of the shaft 60 as caused by the motor 40 and the driving mechanism above described will cause a revolving motion of the crankpin 56 to impart a gyrating movement to the inside work retainer 55. As the work retainer 55 gyrates its outer peripheral surface engaging the inner ends of the workpieces will impart a reciprocatory movement to the workpieces 52 relative to the Alapping elements Il and I2.` During this reciprocatory movement, the outer retaining ring 65 slides on the upper plane surface of the spider 35 and holds the workpieces 52 in a definite relationship with the outer peripheral surface of the inside work retainer 55.

The crankpin 56 is preferably adjustably mounted on the crankplate 5,1 as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 to facilitate varying the extent of gyration of the inner retainer or drive plate 55 so as to vary the length of the reciprocatory stroke imparted to the workpieces 52 relative to the annuli II and I2. The crankpin A55 is xedly mounted on a triangularly shaped plate 'I0 (Fig. 4) which is pivotally supported by a stud II on the crank plate 51. vided with an arcuate-shaped elongated slot 12. A clamping screw 'I3 passes through the slot I2 and is screw threaded into the crank plate 5".`

The eccentricity of ther crankpin. 56 may be varied by loosening the clamping screw 13 and then swinging the plate 'I0 to position the crankpin 55, as desired, after which the clamping screw 13 may be tightened justed position.y As shown in Fig. 4, the crankpin 55 is positioned plate 'I5 may be adjusted so that the crankpin 55 is positioned in any position desired between the full line position shown in Fig. 4 andthe dotted line position 55a. In the latter position, the axis of the crankpin coincides with the aXis of rotation of the crank plate 51, in iwhich position no reciprocatory motion is imparted to the workpieces 52.

The operation of this improved lapping machine will be readily. apparent from the foregoing disclosure. Assumingthe upper lapping wheel II to be in an inoperative or ,raised position as indicated in Fig.V l, a plurality of workpieces 52 are mounted in the V-grooves 50,.

may be withdrawn byf actuation of the lever 26 and the lever 23 movedl after which the detent 24 in a counterclockwise direction to allow the upper yThe plate 10 is proto lock the plate 'l0 in adfor maximum throw. Thek lapping wheel ll to move under the influence of gravity into simultaneous engagement with the upper surface of the workpieces 52. The motor 40 may then be started to impart a rotary motion to the lower lapping wheel IZ and at the same time to start a gyrating movement of the inside work retainer 55. The rotary motion of the lower lapping wheel l2 and the gyrating motion of the work retainer 55 will cause a combined rotating and reciprocating movement of the workpieces 52 relative to the operative faces of the lapping wheels Il and I2 to produce the desired lapped surface on the periphery of the workpieces.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided by this invention apparatus in which the various objects hereinabove set forth together with many thoroughly practical advantages are successfully achieved. As many possible embodiments may be made of the above invention and as many changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. In a lapping machine having a base, a vertically movable upper lapping annulus having a plane operative face thereon, a vertical spindle slidably supported relative to said base to support said annulus, a lower work supporting annulus having an upper plane face rotatably supported on said base in axial alignment with the upper annulus, a plurality of radial V-shaped work supporting grooves extending across the upper plane surface of the lower annulus simultaneously to support a plurality of work pieces to be lapped, means including a manually operable lever-actuated gear and rack operatively connected to move said spindle for moving the upper annulus toward and from the lower annulus to position the lapping annuli in lapping engagement with the work pieces tobe lapped, means including a motor on said base operatively connected to rotate at least one of said annuli, the rotation of said annuli serving to impart a rotary motion to the work pieces within said grooves, a freely movable work retainer ring surrounding the lower annulus, said ring having an internal cylindrical work engaging surface, a revolvable inner retainer ring within said lower annulus, said latter ring having an outer cylindrical work engaging surface, and means including a, positively driven crankpin supported on said base within the lower annulus which is operatively connected to impart a revolving movement to the inner retainer ring simultaneously to impart an axial reciprocatory movement to said work pieces relative to said annuli. y

2. In a lapping machine having a base, a vertically movable upper lapping annulus having a plane operative face thereon, a lower work supporting annulus opposed thereto having an upper plane face which is rotatably supported on said base, a plurality of radial V-shaped work supporting grooves extending across the upper plane surface of the lower annulus simultaneously to support a plurality of work pieces to be lapped, a manually operable lever pivotally supported relative to said base, means including a gear and rack operatively connecting said lever with the upper lapping annulus to facilitate moving the upper annulus toward and from the work supporting annulus to position the lapping annuli in lapping engagement with the work pieces to be lapped, a work retainer ring slidably supported relative to and surrounding said lower annulus, said ring having an internal cylindrical work engaging surface, a revolvable inner retainer within said lower annulus having an outer cylindrical work engaging surface, means including a motor on said base positively to rotate the lower work supporting annulus, means including a crankpin driven by said motor to impart a gyrating and revolving motion to said inner retainer so as to impart a simultaneous axial reciprocatory motion to said work pieces relative to said annuli, and driving connections including a rotatable shaft on said base between said motor and said crankpin.

HERBERT S. INDGE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 510,191 Saum Dec. 5, 1893 1,092,126 Brightman Mar. 31, 1914 1,949,514 Elstub Mar. 6, 1934 1,963,884 Budd June 19, 1934 2,075,104 Einig Mar. 30, 1937 2,291,123 Wallace July 28, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 254,681 Germany Dec. 12, 1912 550,053 Great Britain Dec. 21, 1942 

